Saint Joseph Catholic Church

During the audience, which last nearly two hours, “we explained the situation, difficult situation,” Cardinal Bo told Vatican News. The Myanmar civil war began in 2021 following a coup d’état.

“At the same time, all the people of Myanmar, bishop, priests, religious and the faithful, they are very much having faith, they have resilience,” Cardinal Bo added. “In spite of the difficult situation, the Church in Myanmar is growing and being strengthened very much.”

Buddhism is the official religion of the Southeast Asian nation of 57.9 million (map). Myanmar is 74% Buddhist, 9% ethnic religionist, 9% Christian, and 4% Muslim.

Born in 1972, Bishop Osório Cîtora Afonso, I.M.C., was ordained to the priesthood in 2002, appointed auxiliary bishop of Maputo (the nation’s capital) in 2023, and became bishop of Quelimane last July, according to the Annuario Pontificio. Prior to being named a bishop, he was an an official in the Dicastery for Evangelization; previously, he earned a licentiate at the Biblicum, worked at seminaries, and held regional leadership positions in his order, the Consolata Missionaries.

The Portuguese bishops’ news agency reported that the murder was “committed with an AKM-type weapon by individuals who climbed the wall of his residence, having vandalized the electrical security ... There are no detainees so far, and the authorities are investigating the case.”

The director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) praised Pope Leo’s reflections on artificial intelligence and commitment to peace following a June 5 papal audience.

“This action is manifestly unjust, completely unsupported by the facts, and subverts standard FBI policy and procedure,” the analysts’ attorney said. “These individuals deserved far better for the exceptional and faithful public service they rendered to protect our country.”

The FBI director had previously reported firings of staff members linked to the memo, which was leaked in 2023.

Pope Leo XIV told Spanish lawmakers today that three Spanish saints—St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582), and St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1566)—can assist the people of our own age, which he characterized as “so dark.”

In extemporaneous comments this morning on his flight from Rome to Madrid, Pope Leo XIV said that the Iran war does not meet just-war criteria.

Ambassador Personnaz, the president of Fonds des écoles d’Orient (Fund for Schools of the East), told Vatican News that he hopes to “maintain and enrich the dialogue between France and the Holy See. Because France and the Holy See are two poles of reason, places where people seek ways and means to ease this international situation, to try to find paths toward greater peace or at least dialogue among peoples.”

The ambassador added that “it is clear that the crisis in Lebanon is of critical importance, because Lebanon remains a touchstone for Christians across the region; the hope of all Christian communities in the Middle East therefore hinges on Lebanon’s future.”